Last week I got out of Northern California for a quick trip down to San Diego. Sometimes I forget just how different Southern California is when I haven’t been down there in a while – but I sure appreciated the cooler ocean temps compared to the 90+ days I left in Sacramento!
If you follow me on LinkedIn, you might have seen a giddy post about attending Amy Porterfield’s live event the Entrepreneur Experience. Now let me pause here, because if you are an online business owner (or want to leverage online marketing more) – Amy is your gal! Her podcast Online Marketing Made Easy is chalk full of awesome digital marketing tips to get you going.
I’m not really someone who would get overly excited if they saw a celebrity in person, I mean, they’re just people after all. But when it comes to Amy – I’d definitely do the whole hands in the air, covering my face, squeals of delight sort of dance you do when meeting someone with celebrity status. So that should give you a pretty good idea of how much I love Amy. She does such a fantastic job of making marketing authentic and real (forget that scammy sales stuff of the past!).
The weekend was hosted at the beautiful Loews Coronado Bay Resort with a fantastic view of the San Diego Skyline. It was a power packed few days with a fantastic speaker line up including Amy Porterfield, Rachel Hollis, Jasmine Star, and Stu McLaren. There were so many “a-ha’s” and transformations going on all around me. I left so filled up, inspired, and ready for action.
Now that I’m back and the dust has settled, I thought I’d share my three big takeaways with you.
1. Build an email list.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay connected with your customers, inform them of important updates, and let them know of new products and services. You might think social media is enough, but it’s not.
Why? Not only are you subject to whatever new algorithm changes Facebook or any other platform implements, you also don’t own your audience. If that platform goes under tomorrow…so does your ability to reach your following! You don’t want your business to be held hostage in either of these scenarios.
And maybe the most convincing reason of all, the ROI on email marketing is pretty amazing – 4400% (that’s $44 to every $1 you spend).
I’ll admit that building my email list has not been a priority, but after this week I’m shifting my focus for the new year.
2. Play a Bigger Game.
Amy encouraged attendees to evaluate where we were playing small or holding ourselves back in our businesses. And then we had to commit to how we were going to play a bigger game moving forward.
As an entrepreneur, I find that one of my biggest struggles is my own mindset. The beliefs and stories I tell myself impact how I perform, the opportunities that I choose to take, and the ones I turn away.
By identifying an area to play a bigger game, you set an intention to step past fear and create more impact.
What could you accomplish if you played a bigger game this year? Who could you help? What lives could you change?
3. Be Decisive.
This seems like such simple advice – until you’re stuck on the fence about a decision for hours, days, or weeks. I know you’ve been there. When it comes to a decision, it’s easy to get paralyzed by fear of what might happen if we choose wrong.
The common thread of the weekend was that a wrong decision is better than indecision. When you’re stuck you’re inactive and not moving ANYWHERE, but as soon as you make a decision – wrong or right – you are in action. As long as you keep moving, you can course correct as you go.
So don’t get frozen on a decision, give yourself to permission to make a mistake, and be wrong – just get going!
In conclusion.
I find that the simplest advice is usually the advice we need reminding of the most. I hope this small recap of a few of the BIG ideas helps inspire you in your business. And when you have the chance to invest in yourself for a similar conference experience in your industry with “your people” where you know you’ll get a boatload of inspiration that leaves you fired up and ready to act – make it a priority to attend. You’re so worth it.
